Architect From Boca Wins Contest

May 16, 1986|By Joseph Schwerdt, Staff Writer

DELRAY BEACH -- A Boca Raton architect was selected the winner of the Delray Beach Housing Authority Auburn Trace design contest Thursday and will have the inside track on the lucrative contract to design the moderate income housing project.

Ted Bessette, owner of Ted Bessette & Associates, was awarded the $1,250 first prize after a four-hour Housing Authority meeting Thursday. Bessette soon will begin negotiations with authority officials on a design contract for the project.

Bessette narrowly defeated the North Palm Beach firm Omura Casey Inc. by one point. Omura Casey won the $750 second-place prize and Ginocchio and Spina of West Palm Beach won $500 for third place. The last-place finisher, Slattery- Root of Boca Raton will be awarded a plaque for honorable mention.

``The $1,200 didn`t come close to covering my costs on this,`` Bessette said. ``I know all the architects took a loss on this. But I`m very confident I`ll be able to negotiate a contract.``

If the authority can`t negotiate a contract with Bessette, it will negotiate with the other firms in the order they finished. The design contract could be worth $25,000 officials said.

In February, the Housing Authority solicited designs for Auburn Trace, its planned 106-unit housing project on 15 acres near Southwest 14th Avenue and Sixth Street. The homes will be either sold or rented to families with low and moderate incomes.

Authority members had hoped the contest would draw interest from architectural firms. It did. Ten firms entered the contest, seven submitted designs. A panel of judges selected five finalists last month. Four of the finalists appeared at Thursday`s final meeting.

Ironically, Bessette was chosen fourth by the judges panel.

The authority may conduct another contest in the near future for a development on nine acres near Southwest Eighth Avenue and Third Street. That property currently belongs to the city, but authority chairman Bob Hutzler said talks are under way to hand it over to the authority

Board members liked the tree-lined streets and lakefront homes featured in Bessette`s design. The design also includes several small playgrounds and adult gardens. There`s a gazebo on the lake and a jogging trail weaves throughout the neighborhood.

Board members also liked the spacious one- to four-bedroom homes from 600 to 1,500 square feet. The homes are staggered to provide more private back yards and front porches. Each home comes with its own plot of land that can be fenced in for additional privacy. Bessette said the front porch will add to the neighborhood atmosphere.

``I liked the pattern of the homes,`` Hutzler said. ``They create more privacy for the homeowner. The design was closer to a single family home than any of the others.``

Bessette`s design will cost $4.1 million, more than the $3.75 million budgeted, but less than most of the other designs. The authority has not secured financing for the project, but Hutzler said several finanical institutions have expressed interest.